Apple iPhone 13 Pro models to use 120Hz LTPO OLED displays from Samsung: report

Published On: March 23, 2021

Highlights

Apple iPhone 13 series will use 120Hz LTPO OLED panels from Samsung
These displays are said to have variable refresh-rate
The 120Hz LTPO OLED display will likely be used on the iPhone 13 Pro models

High refresh-rate displays have become a norm in high-end Android smartphones. Devices like Samsung Galaxy S20, OnePlus 8 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10, Oppo Find X3, and Vivo X60 have a 120Hz refresh rate or higher. However, Apple is yet to implement this technology in its iPhones. The latest smartphones from Apple, the iPhone 12 series, still uses the outdated 60Hz refresh rate. The iPhone 12 series was expected to feature a 120Hz display but Apple didn’t move forward with it due to battery life concerns. Now, a new report claims that Apple has decided to use high refresh-rate display panels from Samsung for the iPhone 13 series.

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A new report from The Elec claims that Apple will use LTPO OLED panels featuring a 120Hz variable refresh rate from Samsung Display for the iPhone 13 series. According to the publication, Apple has already placed the order for new display panels. Samsung is said to upgrade its OLED panel manufacturing line, dedicated to Apple, with LTPO technology, and start delivering the display panels to the Cupertino-based tech giant later this year.

According to the report, Samsung has guaranteed to supply 30,000 OLED display substrates to Apple per month initially. Once the transition to LTPO technology fully completes, the Korean brand is said to have promised to supply up to 70,000 LTPO OLED substrates to the iPhone maker. Rumor has it that iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will use a 120Hz variable high refresh-rate display, whereas, the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 mini will use less advanced, 60Hz refresh rate panels.

Apple wanted to use a high refresh-rate LTPO panel for the iPhone 12 series. LTPO displays can offer variable refresh rates, due to which, they consume less battery power. For example, variable high refresh-rate displays can go up to 120Hz while scrolling or gaming to offer a smooth motion, and drop the refresh rate to 30hz or 60Hz while watching videos to save battery. If Apple had used a regular high refresh-rate OLED, it would have had adverse effects on the iPhone 12 series’ battery life. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t get enough LTPO panels for the iPhone 12 series. Therefore, the Cupertino-based tech giant dropped the high refresh rate feature for the iPhone 12 series smartphones.

The Apple iPhone 13 series are expected to launch in September or October this year. The iPhone 13 series is expected to come with more powerful chipsets, better cameras, larger batteries, smaller notch, and as mentioned earlier, higher refresh rate displays.